The invention relates generally to martial arts training, professional mixed martial arts and boxing training, combat training and fitness training equipment, and more particularly to a device for one person to wear while another person strikes the equipment to develop and improve skills in martial arts, professional mixed martial arts and boxing, combat training, and fitness training.
In the fields of physical fitness activities, contact between athletes is often encountered. This is desirable when training and practicing contact sports, such as boxing, kickboxing and any of the martial arts. It is known that contact during instruction and training can be imperfect, which can harm the target of the impact. Even if the contact is perfect, repetitive blows can harm the athlete and the recipient of the impact. It is preferred that athletes train for contests in contact sports by engaging in the types of contact, such as punching, elbowing, forearming, kicking and kneeing, that will occur during the contests. However, many athletes cannot find suitable opponents for training, and such opponents can be injured by successful contact.
Many devices have been invented to enable athletes to simulate sporting contact while a trainer observes and coaches the athlete on his or her form. Speed bags, heavy bags, padded gloves and chest pads are all designed to allow an athlete in training to contact the equipment while the trainer observes and comments. Some equipment, such as padded gloves and chest pads, enables the athlete to more closely simulate punching and kicking while protecting the trainer from harm that could come if the athlete does not execute the punch or kick correctly, or even if he or she does. Such equipment allows the trainer to receive the impact, which gives the trainer insight into the power and location of the impact, and also gives the trainer a vantage point and options for training that are not otherwise available to trainers who view the training from a distance.
To the inventor's knowledge, no equipment has been invented that allows an athlete to accurately simulate punching, elbowing, forearming, kicking and kneeing another person while still protecting the other person, particularly while also allowing the other person to move around as an opposing athlete would. In particular, it is desired for the trainer to be able to move across a floor, mat, canvas, or other area with his or her feet to simulate the way an opponent athlete moves while the athlete being trained punches, elbows, forearms, kicks and knees the device worn by the trainer as the athlete would punch, elbow, forearm, kick and knee an opponent during a contest.